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Penguin Mom's avatar

I was thinking about some of this too. I have never experienced even a whiff of unprofessional behavior from a priest anytime, including in the confessional, but I am still (maybe especially as a woman) incredibly aware that I am in a small, confined space with a man talking about very private things, even if a wall separates us. I'm sure that affects my manner of speaking, especially if I need to confess sins against chastity.

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ALT's avatar

I have never experienced such behavior either. But I and a friend have both gone to Confession with a priest who was later removed from ministry and laicized for seeking sexual relationships with women and who had a reputation for very providing long, conversational Confessions.

Even if most priests are trustworthy, you can never find out if one isn't until afterwards. I can't imagine how that could fail to affect our way of speaking.

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